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Special project: Where the jobs are in Lebanon County

Updated:
01/08/2014 03:26:51 PM EST

Career resource center monitor Donna Becker, standing, helps people at the PA CareerLink office search for jobs and research tips for writing a resume. About 1,000 people a month use the services housed at CareerLink. LEBANON DAILY NEWS - JEREMY LONG

Series by Susan Oscilowski
For the Lebanon Daily News

Looking for a job? Lebanon County has a lot to offer

If geographic location impacts your chances for being employed, then the odds are in your favor by playing your cards in Lebanon County.

The county boasts diversity in the 363 square miles within its boundaries. Its wealth stems from an abundance of agriculture, immense tracts of woodland, mountains, valleys, waterways, natural beauty in all four seasons, an average temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit and about 3 feet of precipitation annually.

Evidence of preserved history is regarded with great value in all corners of the county, and many families can trace several generations of their ancestry to the area.

It is known to be a great place to raise a family, and population growth testifies to that. Family-owned farms and businesses thrive for generations, and many entrepreneurs have met with success within the south-central Pennsylvania community. The county's location connects us with large population centers and access to commerce and trade, as it did in the early days of canals and railroads, which were built here.

Locally-owned businesses and national companies employ county residents. The economic base includes agriculture, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, pharmaceutical firms, service industries and food processing.

Another fact worthy of pride is Lebanon County's employment rank in the top 10 among all the counties in the commonwealth, and higher than the national average. The latest statistics available report the unemployment rate at 6.3 percent, which puts Lebanon County at a tie for ninth place in the state. The county is far below the average of 7.8 percent for Pennsylvania, and the average for U.S. workers at 7.9 percent. Many are committed to improving those numbers, in spite of the challenging economic times the nation is facing. Officials are hopeful, citing the highest monthly decline in 30 years in Pennsylvania's unemployment rate between October and November 2012.

The civilian work force in the region numbers nearly 70,000, distributed among 5,000 businesses.
It has grown steadily each decade since 1970 when the labor force included 45,000 workers, which accounts for a 55 percent increase. The Lebanon County unemployment rate 40 years ago stood at a mere 2.9 percent.

There were 1,800 job openings posted online in October in our area, and statewide, the job sectors showing the largest gains were leisure/hospitality, education/health services and manufacturing.

Sources: Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce and Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.